Valve actuator for pressurized liquid spray containers



June 21, 1960 J. M. GABLE 2,941,700

VALVE ACTUATOR FOR PRESSURIZED LIQUID SPRAY CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 18, 1958 INVENTOR. Jean M. Gable.

WWW/M ATTORNEYS.

2,941,700 Patented June 21, 1960 ice VALVE ACTUATOR FOR PRESSURIZED LIQUID SPRAY CONTAINER Jean M. Gable, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Howard S. Gable, Kansas City, Mo.

Filed Dec. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 781,350

3 Claims. (Cl. 222-494) This invention relates to valve actuators, and more particularly to a removable actuator for valves of pressunzed liquid dispensing containers and the like.

Many liquid materials such as paints, oils, insecticides, deodorants, etc, are packaged in containers or cans under pressure for dispensing by spraying in the form of an aerosol. Since the containers are intended to be thrown away after the contents have been used, the valve structures which are normally in the upper portion or end of the container must be of inexpensive construct1on, and while there is some variation in such valve structures the common forms have upstanding. caps or spray heads on plungers for pressing by the users fin- 'ger to open the valve and dispense the liquid spray from a nozzle or aperture in said cap or spray head. It is also common practice to incline the end of the cap or head downwardly and away from the direction of the spray. A wide rangeofmaterials is dispensed from such spray containers, and with materials such as paints and the like it frequently is desirable or necessary to cont nue to spray the material over a substantial period of time, necessitating continuous pressure to be applied to the valve cap or head, resulting in fatigue for the finger and hand of the user.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a novel lever structure for removably mounting on pressurized liquid containers to actuate the valve thereof; to provide such a lever actuator and mounting which includes a resilient member adapted to engage the container for removably securing said actuator thereon; to provide such a lever structure wherein the resilient member engages under a bead or flange at the container closure; to provide such a structure wherein the lever and resilient member have cooperating por tions, whereby a lever is pivoted thereon and is movable in one direction to actuate the valve, and movable in the opposite direction to expand and release the engagement of the resilient member on said container; to provide such a structure wherein the lever is light in weight and can normally rest on the valve plunger without moving same towards open position; and to provide a novel lever structure for actuating the valves of aerosol cans wherein the actuator is readily and economically constructed and assembled on a mass production basis, is attractive in appearance, yet simple and reliable in operation.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be come apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

Fig. l is a perspective view of a valve actuator embodying the present invention mounted on a form of dispensing container.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the valve actuator on a dispensing container with the valve plunger in valve closed position with portions broken away to show the spray orifice.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a dispensing container with the valve actuator thereon in valve open position, portions being broken away to illustrate the valve lever and container engaging member.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a dispensing container with a valve actuator thereon from the pivoted end of the actuator lever.

Fig. 5 is a disassembled perspective view of the valve actuator parts.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

The reference numeral 1 is used to generally designate a disposable container for pressurized liquids, said container being of the type generally used for paints, oils, insecticides and other liquids for dispensing by spraying in the form of an aerosol. The upper end of the container is closed by a closure member or cap 2 having'a flange or bead 3 on its periphery that is larger in diameter than the adjacent portion or neck 4 of the container whereby the lower edge of said flange defines a shoulder 5. The container at the lower end of the neck 4 extends outwardly and downwardly as at 6 in spaced relation to the shoulder 5, and cooperates therewith to define an angular groove 7. The container has a valve plunger tube 8 extending upwardly therefrom, with a plunger cap or spray head 9 mounted on said plunger tube, and provided with a suitable discharge orifice 10 having communication through a passage 11 with the bore 12 of the tube 8 whereby when the cap is pressed downwardly toward the container it moves the plunger tube 8 to eifect opening of the container valve whereby the contents of the container flows through the bore 12 passage 11 and is discharged in a spray through the orifice 10. The cap or head 9 has an upper end face 13 inclined downwardly from the side of the cap from which the orifice ll) sprays the container contents. The container 1, cap 2, plunger 8 and plunger cap 9 are exemplary only of conventional aerosol containers where.- in the spray of the container contents is effected by downward pressure on an upwardly extending valve plunger as the present inventionis adaptable for use on a wide variety of such conventional containers.

The reference numeral 14 generally designates a valve plunger actuator which includes an elongate hand lever 15 pivotally mounted on a mounting member 16, adapted to be removably mounted on the container 1. In the structure illustrated, the mounting member 16 is a partial ring or loop member preferably formed of resilient material such as spring wire and having a container engaging portion 17 in the shape of a circular are slightly smaller in diameter than the container neck 4 and adapted to extend therearound for substantially more than 180 degrees. It is preferable that the arc of the container gripping portion 17 extend for substantially 270degrees and terminate at its ends in upwardly and rearwardly turned portions or loops forming cars 15, with aligned axial openings 19 for receiving and pivotally mounting trunnions 20 of the lever member as later described, The arc of the ring-like portion 17 of the mounting member is such that when placed on a container and registered with the groove 7 and released, the normal tension of the ring-like member will cause same to contract and resiliently engage the neck 4 of the container under the shoulder 5 and position the ears 18 alongside the flange 3 and spaced therefrom, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4. The ears 18, when the mounting member is applied to a container, are inclined upwardly and outwardly whereby the adjacent surfaces 21 of said cars dofine upwardly diverging planes, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

The handle or lever member 15 has aligned trunnions 20 extending outwardly from the lower ends of inclined legs 22 of a handle yoke 23, said trunnions 20 extending through the openings 19 in the ears 1%, with the legs 22 extending upwardly therefrom, the upper ends of said legs being connected by a bar 24, preferably normally positioned slightly above the upper end of the plunger cap or head 9, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The handle 15 extends from the bar 24 over the plunger cap or head 9, with the end 25 opposite the bar 24 being preferably curved downwardly, whereby the handle end 25 is in a suitable position for engagement by the finger or thumb of the hand normally holding the container 1 during spraying operations. The handle or lever 15 has a downwardly extending protuberance or lug 26, preferably having a rounded bottom surface 27 to provide a substantially point contact with the surface 13 of the plunger cap or head 9 at all operating positions of the lever 15. The yoke legs 22 are spaced substantially apart, and the bar 24 is adjacent the upper end of the plunger cap a 9 whereby the orifice 10 may be positioned to direct the spray between the legs 22 with the included angle of the spray such that it Will be directed through the opening defined by the legs 22 and bar 24 without particles of the liquid impinging thereon. The lever and mounting member 16 have cooperative portions operative in response to swinging movement of the lever to eifect expansion of said mounting member to facilitate application and removal of the actuator to the container.' The lower portion of the legs 22 are positioned relative to the inner faces 21 of the ears 18 whereby when the handle is positioned as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the mounting member 16 may freely grip the neck 4 of the con tainer with the upper'portions of the ears 18 spaced slightly from the adjacent portions of the legs 22, as illustrated at 28 (Fig. 4). The inclination of the faces 21 of the cars 18 is such relative to the legs 22 that when the handleor lever 15' is swung in a counterclockwise direction, Fig. 2, the legs engage the inclined surfaces 21, spreading the ears 1S and expanding the portion 17 of the mounting member to release the engagement thereof With the neck 4 of the container whereby the mounting member may be easily moved upwardly over the flange 3 for removing the valve actuating member from the container. The lever and mounting member are moved to such a release position when applying the actuating member to a container whereby the mounting member 16 may be easily moved over the flange 3 on the container and to register with the groove 7, and then the lever is pivoted up over the plunger cap to a position shown in Fig. 2, wherein the legs 22 are disengaged from the surfaces 21 of the ears 18, and the mounting member resiliently engages or grips the neck 4 to retain the valve actuating member on the container. It is conventional in such containers to have the upper surface of the plunger caps inclined to aid in detecting the location of the orifice 10. The valve actuator may be applied to the container with the orifice directed between the legs 22, as illustrated in Fig. 4, or it may be turned relative to said orifice whereby the orifice is directed laterally to spray at right angles to the plane of the lever 15. In either position, the rounded lower surface of the lug 26 on the lever or handle15 is such that it applies substantially only downward pressure on the plunger cap and thereby eliminates possible damage to the valve and plunger or breakage of the plunger as could occur from excessive lateral force applied to the plunger cap 9. Y a

It is preferable that trunnion end members 29 be placed on the ends of the trunnions extending outwardly from the cars 18. In the illustrated structure, the end members 29 are spherical with sockets 30 adapted to receive the ends of the trunnion for suitably securing said end members on the ends of the trunnions 20. The end members 29 not only are decorative but also protect the user from being scratched or otherwise injured by accidental contact with the protruding ends of the trunnions.

It is to be understood that while I have illustrated and described one form of my invention, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A value actuator for pressurized liquid containers having a closure and a spray head for discharge of the container contents in responseto depression of said spray head comprising, a resilient mounting member expandable for sleeving over a container closure whereby contraction of said mounting member effects a resilient gripping engagement thereof with said container adjacent said closure, 9. hand lever pivotally mounted on the mounting member and extending therefrom over the spray head to normally rest thereon whereby downward pressure on said hand lever depresses said spray head for spraying contents of the container, spaced ears on the mounting member arranged whereby spreading said ears expands the mounting member, and means on the hand lever engageable with said spaced ears on the mounting member in response to swinging movement of said hand lever away from said spray head for spreading said spaced members and expanding the mounting member. 7

2., A valve actuator for pressurized liquid'containers having a closure on the upper end with a valve plunger and spray head extending upwardly therefrom for discharge of the container contents in a laterally directed spray in response to depression of said'valve plunger comprising, a resilient mounting member expandable for sleeving over a container closure whereby contraction of said mounting member eifects a resilient gripping engagement thereof with said container adjacent said closure, a hand lever pivotally mounted on the mounting member and extending therefrom over the spray head to normally rest thereon whereby downward pressure on said hand lever depresses said valve plunger for spraying contents of the container, spaced members on the mounting member and having inclined portions arranged whereby spreading said spaced members expands the mounting member, and cam means on the hand lever engageable with said inclined portions on the mounting member in response to swinging movement of said hand lever away from said spray head for spreading said spaced members and expanding the mounting member.

3. A valve actuator for pressurized liquid containers having a closure on the upper end with valve plunger and spray head extending upwardly therefrom for discharge of the contents of the container in a laterally directed spray in response to depression of said valve plunger comprising, a resilient mounting member expandable for sleeving over the container closure whereby contraction of said mounting member efiects a resilient grip ping engagement thereof with said container adjacent said closure, spaced ears on said mounting member, an elongated hand lever, spaced legs on said hand lever and extending therefrom to between said ears, and means on said spaced legs pivotally mounting said hand lever on said spaced ears for swinging movement relative to said mounting member, said hand lever extending over said spray head for normal engagement therewith whereby downward pressure on said hand lever depresses said valve plunger for spraying contents of the container.

4. A valve actuator for pressurized liquid containers having a closure on the upper end with valve plunger and spray head extending upwardly therefrom for dis- 7 charge of the contents of the container in a laterally directed spray in response to depression of said valve plunger comprising, a resilient mounting member expandable for sleeving over the container closure whereby contraction of said mounting member effects a resilient gripping engagement thereof with said container adjacent said closure, spaced ears on said mounting member, an elongated hand lever, spaced legs on said handlever and extending therefrom to between 'saidtears, means on said spaced legs pivotally mounting said hand lever on said spaced ears for swinging movementrelativeato said mounting member, said hand lever extending over said spray head for normal engagement therewith whereby downward pressure on said hand lever depresses said valve plunger for spraying contents of the container, and cooperative portions on said legs and said mounting member for expanding the mounting member in response to swinging movement of said hand lever away from said spray head to release the grip of the mounting member on said container for removal of the valve actuator.

5. A valve actuator for pressurized liquid containers having a closure on the upper end with valve plunger and spray head extending upwardly therefrom for discharge of the contents of the container in a laterally directed spray in response to depression of said valve plunger comprising, a resilient mounting member expandable for sleeving over the container closure whereby contraction of said mounting member effects a resilient gripping engagement thereof with said container adjacent said closure, spaced ears on said mounting member and having aligned bearing openings therein, an elongated hand lever, spaced legs on said hand lever and extending therefrom to between said ears, outwardly extending trunnions on said legs rotatably mounted in said bearing openings to pivotally mount said hand lever for swinging movement relative to said mounting member, said hand lever extending over said spray head for normal engagement therewith whereby downward pres sure on said hand lever depresses said valve plunger for spraying contents of the container, and cooperative portions on said legs and ears for spreading said ears and expanding the mounting member in response to swinging movement of said hand lever away from said spray head to release the grip of the mounting member on said container for removal of the valve actuator.

6. A valve actuator for pressurized liquid containers having a closure on the upper end with a valve plunger and spray head extending upwardly therefrom for discharge of the container contents in a laterally directed spray in response to depression of said valve plunger comprising, an arcuate member of spring wire of circular form of substantially more than a semi-circle, said arcuate wire member terminating at its ends in loop portions, said Wire member being of a size whereby when expanded it will sleeve over the container closure and on contraction will efiect resilient gripping engagement thereof with said container adjacent said closure, a yoke member having a bar in substantially parallel relation to the axes of the openings through the spaced loops and spaced therefrom and terminating at its ends in legs extending from the bar to between said loops, means on said legs engaging the loops on the wire member to pivotally mount said yoke, and an elongated lever having one end secured to the yoke and extending therefrom over said spray head for normal engagement therewith with the opposite end portion of said lever curved downwardly toward the container whereby downward pressure on said opposite end of the lever depresses said valve plunger for spraying contents of the container.

7. A valve actuator for pressurized liquid containers having a closure on the upper end with a valve plunger and spray head extending upwardly therefrom for discharge of the container contents in a laterally directed spray in response to depression of said valve plunger comprising, an arcuate member of spring wire of circular form of substantially more than a semi-circle, said arcuate wire member terminating at its ends in loop portions, said wire member being of a size whereby when expanded it will sleeve over the container closure and on contraction will eifect resilient gripping engagement thereof with said container adjacent said closure, a yoke member in substantially parallel relation to the axes of the openings through the spaced loops and spaced therefrom and terminating at its ends in legs extending from the bar to between said loops, means on said legs engag ing the loops of said wire member to pivotally mount said yoke, an elongated lever having one end secured to the yoke and extending therefrom over said spray head for normal engagement therewith with the opposite end portion of said lever curved downwardly toward the container whereby downward pressure on said opposite end of the lever depresses said valve plunger for spraying contents of the container, and cooperative means on said legs of the yoke and the arcuate wire member operative to expand the arcuate wire portion in response to swinging movement of said lever away from said spray head to release the grip of the wire member on said container.

8. A valve actuator for pressurized liquid containers having a closure on the upper end with a valve plunger and spray head extending upwardly therefrom for discharge of the container contents in a laterally directed spray in response to depression of said valve plunger comprising, an arcuate member of spring wire of circular form of substantially more than a semi-circle, said arcuate wire member terminating at its ends in loop portions having aligned apertures extending therethrough, said wire member being of a size whereby when expanded it will sleeve over the container closure and on contraction will effect resilient gripping engagement thereof with said container adjacent said closure, said loops being inclined in upwardly diverging relation when applied on the upper portion of a container, a yoke member having a bar in substantially parallel relation to the axes of the openings through the spaced loops and spaced therefrom and terminating at its ends in legs extending from the bar to between said loops, trunnions on said legs extending outwardly therefrom into the aligned openings of the loops to pivotally mount said yoke, and an elongated lever having one end secured to the bar of the yoke and extending therefrom over said spray head for normal engagement therewith with the opposite end portion of said lever curved downwardly toward the container whereby downward pressure on said opposite end of the lever depresses said valve plunger for spraying contents of the container, said legs of the yoke and the inclined loops cooperating to spread the loops and expand the arcuate wire portion in response to swinging movement of said lever away from said spray head to release the grip of the wire member on said container.

References (Zited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,632,585 Tomasek Mar. 24, 1953 2,803,383 Dickman et al. Aug. 20, 1957 

